Masked Love
by Murasaki Hana
Summary: Kakashi always thought that Sakura -the weakest member of Team 7- was someone to be protected, but being her personal Anbu guard after she got named as the next Hokage wasn't quite what he had in mind... On hiatus until my arms are better.
1. Prologue

Masked Love

_Prologue_

She sat there, on her new office, with a small –but still there- frown on her young face. The white and red fabric felt heavy on her shoulders, the responsibility that it signified substantial on her small frame. The hat was sitting on her right and there were a few unopened scrolls on her left.

The Elders, Danzō, Homura and Koharu, were standing behind the massive desk, their expressions were downright gleeful.

They kind of reminded her of a cat that got the cream _and_ enjoyed it.

'_Deeply so,'_ Sakura thought sourly.

"Rokudaime-Sama," it sounded so wrong when directed at her, it should have been Naruto sitting here, not her. "We are pleased that you took the position like we hoped you would-" like she had a choice! "-now that Tsunade is… unable to fulfill her duties," Danzō said.

"It is an honor to serve my village" Sakura said and smiled –forcedly- slightly.

'_You old bastard! You only wanted the position for yourself!_' Sakura fumed, but kept her expression mostly neutral. Just like Tsunade told her to do when dealing with the Elders; remain calm, collected and keep on nodding when it feels right. She was lucky to have been Tsunades apprentice for so long before she left after Jiraiyas death with Shizune.

'_Five years,'_ she corrected herself sadly and listened with half an ear what Danzō had to say.

"-And I am sure you will fulfill your duties to the point. In the meantime, I will see to your personal Anbu and make sure that they are ready to serve under you, Sakura-Sama," Danzō said with a –creepy- smile.

"My… personal Anbu?" Sakura asked, uncertain. She was to have her own platoon?

"Of course! We cannot have our new Hokage walking around without any protection," Koharu scoffed from her spot, making Homura nod in agreement.

"I have a few good candidates in my own ranks, if you would go over them to see if they please you. In the meantime, I will be there for you, Hokage-Sama," Danzō said.

'_That… sounded so wrong. I don't want him anywhere near me_!' Sakura thought, but kept the frown away from her face. He was clearly hoping that she would choose one of his emotionless ROOT members as her personal guard. The only one she would even consider was Sai!

"I will think about it, thank you Danzō-San," Sakura said and nodded.

"Good, we will leave you now Hokage-Sama. Official scrolls will be taken care of and the public speech will be scheduled when you have settled down properly," and then –finally- they were gone.

Sakura visibly sagged in her seat and covered her face with her shaking hands.

'_What am I going to do? I am not fit to be a Hokage!_' Sakura thought tiredly and leaned her head to her table.

The dark, cool wood felt good on her tired features.

After Naruto left to look for Sasuke and Tsunades emotional breakdown, she just had to be the one that the elders chose. The village was full of ninjas that could have been better for the job, but she could see where the Elders were coming from. Sakura knew how to run a village, after being Tsunades apprentice for so long. It was her, or Shizune, who took care of the paper work and mission reports. But she was afraid of those bigger decisions that were no doubt waiting for her around the corner, the ones that would make her either a good -or bad- Hokage.

"God, I need sake," she murmured tiredly.

"My, Sakura-Chan, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you are Tsunade in disguise," a way too cheerful voice said. Sakura looked up from her desk and frowned –for him, she was allowed to- at Kakashi.

"Now, now Sakura-Chan, don't go glaring at your poor old Sensei," Kakashi chuckled and stepped down from the windowsill.

"Door is that way, Sensei," Sakura murmured and laid her head back down.

"I know, but window is faster," this made Sakura snort in a very unladylike manner.

"When did you ever worry about being in time?" Sakura asked skeptically, but Kakashi only hmned and walked up to her desk.

"Kakashi… what am I going to do?" Sakura asked tiredly, pretty much sounding like a lost child, even though she didn't look like the part at the moment. Wearing the Hokages clothes kind of did that to you, not to mention the Jōnin uniform underneath.

"Sakura…" Kakashi sighed.

"Why did they have to choose me?" Sakuras voice cracked, she was clearly tired, if the dark bags under her eyes were anything to go by. Kakashi placed a warm hand on her left shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Sakura, I will be here for you, you know that, right?" Kakashi said quietly and pushed some of Sakuras hair behind her ear.

"Even though you always come late?" There was a small smirk on her lips; he could see it from this angle.

"Brat," Kakashi said and tousled her hair.

"Careful Kakashi, your bones get weaker as you age," Sakura joked and finally lifted her head from the table.

"Well, it's a good thing that I have you to take care of me, isn't it," he said cheerfully.

"I should probably give you only D-ranked missions from now on, you can't be too careful when dealing with older people," Sakura thought and tapped her chin. She watched with a grin as his smile disappeared.

"You hurt me Sakura, right here," he said and placed his left hand over his heart.

"Heart problems come with age, I'll have to give you a physical soon to make sure there is nothing wrong," Sakura said with a straight face, but her lips started to tremble as she tried to hold in her laughter.

"Very funny," Kakashi grumbled and crossed his arms.

Sakura giggled and stood up from her over comfortable chair. She patted Kakashis shoulder as she walked past him towards the big windows. Sakura looked down at the village –now hers- and watched as the morning sun shined over the town. The people were already waking up and the streets were filling with laughter and gossip. The sigh was beautiful to her, something that she wanted to protect with her life.

"She is beautiful from up here, isn't she," Sakura whispered and smiled at Kakashi when he walked to the window to stand next to her.

"She is," he agreed quietly and placed an arm around her shoulders. She didn't even notice it when she leaned into his embrace.

Somehow, her duty as the Hokage didn't sound as frightening anymore, because she had Kakashi right there next to her.

...

This has been in my head for a long long time and now I finally got it out.

Please let me know if you think it is worth continuing.

I will be updating this and Courtship whenever I have the time.

And as always, thank you all for reading and have a nice day!

R&amp;R

TY

-Hana


	2. Chapter 1 The way we bet

Chapter 1

_The way we bet_

The first week flew by quickly.

The Elders insisted that she move to a more proper house, saying that her one bedroom apartment wasn't fit for a Hokage. By "more proper" they meant the giant estate that was located on top of the Hokage monument. She tried to tell them that it was _way_ too big for one person, not to mention ridiculously huge for someone that was used to having so little space, but they were relentless.

By the time she finally said yes –more like gave up after she was fed up with their constant nagging- almost all of her stuff was already at the estate. Not that her meager possessions could even fill up a room from there.

Sakura never was someone for material goods, she never had the need for more that the necessary. Most of her time was spent at the hospital that she administered, now that Tsunade and Shizune were away. Or if she had the time, out on missions.

'_I guess that will change now,'_ Sakura thought sourly. Even the sheer amount of different ceremonial robes she had to try on during the week was making her head spin.

'_Ino would have loved to be there,'_ she thought with a shiver.

"Now, we should go over your speech once more, Sakura-Sama," Danzō said, making Sakura jump out of her thoughts as he pulled out _another_ scroll.

'_I wonder where he keeps them, he just keeps on pulling them out!_' Sakura thought and squished the need to glare at said scroll. She had seen enough of those things in the past week to make anyone irritated from the mere sight of one.

"Danzō-San, I appreciate your efforts, but I really need to get some rest once in a while," Sakura said, not even trying to sound friendly.

She was far too tired for friendly.

"Of course, Sakura-Sama, I shall escort you home," Danzō said, smirking, clearly amused from her temper and pocketed the scroll. The sight of it _gone_ made her feel better already.

"You really don't have to, I can just warp to the estate," calling it home just didn't feel right.

"I insist, you still do not have your guards," Danzō said and offered his arm. Sakura sighed and lifted up her Hokage hat, setting it on her head. She took his arm, reluctantly and he led her out of her office and to the main streets of Konoha, where they took a sharp turn right to the smaller road that led to the monument.

"Now, how have you settled down in your new home?" he asked, trying to keep up the conversation.

"Fine, I guess, but I still think that it's way too huge for one person," Sakura grumbled.

"Hopefully there will be more than just you in the near future," Danzō said and glanced down at her stomach with hope in his eyes.

It was clear what the man was thinking of and the idea didn't please Sakura. Sakura knew that Danzō was not a bad person, he really did care for this village. But the lengths he would go to protect it frightened her. He would do _anything_ to keep this village safe and see that it would prosper. And it made her kind of glad that it wasn't _him_ that was named as the Hokage.

But still, she was way too young for a family, she just turned seventeen!

"I… will have to think about it."

'_Not,' _she thought with a grimace.

"We _could_ arrange a marriage for you, I hear that the Kazekage is of marrying age," his voice sounded way too hopeful.

"That is kinda-"

"Or marry someone from the council," oh god, she really hoped he wasn't talking about himself. It was time to play her part as the Hokage, before he got any more _great_ ideas.

"Danzō-san, I am sure that I am able to find a husband for myself _when_ I am in the need of one," she said in a firm voice, making Danzō chuckle.

"I am sure you will."

'_No, you are not,'_ she thought and pulled her hat lower on her head to shield her eyes from the burning summer sun. Danzō was clearly done with the subject and he was leading her quietly towards her "home". She turned her eyes to the ground as the silence that stretched on was turning out to be awkward, painfully so.

"Forehead, is that you?!"

'_Ino! You are a life saver!'_ Sakura thought and lifted her eyes up from the ground. The sight of her childhood friend put her in a better mood immediately and there was a soft smile forming on her lips as the blond walked closer.

"Ino", she said with a grin and tried to pull away from Danzō.

His grip held tight on her arm.

Sakura started to frown and was just about to open her mouth to scold him, but he beat her to it.

"Yamanaka-San, I do _not_ find it proper for you to call our new Hokage such derogatory names, please apologize," he said firmly and pulled Sakura even closer to his left side in protection, anchoring her arm there with his bicep. Danzō might seem calm and collected most of the time, but the glare Ino was receiving at that moment was downright frightening.

Ino gulped, knowing that it wasn't wise to get on the Elders bad side, her father would _kill_ her if he knew!

"I… you are right Danzō-Sama. I apologize for my rudeness Rokudaime-Sama, please excuse me," and with a bow, her best friend was _gone_.

Sakura blinked, confused.

"Hmp, what a rude girl. Now, please come along Sakura-Sama," Danzō tsked and tried to pull her along. She wouldn't budge an inch.

"Sakura-Sama?" Danzō and looked down at her in question.

"You… you cannot just ignore my _friends_ like that!" Sakura fumed and pulled her arm away forcedly. Danzō hardly batted an eye as he turned to face her fully.

"Sakura, you are the Hokage now. You need to earn your villages respect," Danzō said calmly.

"Now, take my arm and let me lead you home, girl."

"It is Sakura-Sama to you," she said firmly and turned around to march away, but an arm on her shoulder stopped her. She glared at said appendage and hoped that it would burst out in flames.

No such luck.

"Silly girl, it is not safe for the Hoka-"

"Yo, Sakura-Chan!" Kakashi greeted with a wave and walked closer to them. Danzō let his arm fall from her shoulder with a last warning squeeze to behave.

Sakura gave Kakashi a thankful look and turned around to face Danzō.

"Now that Kakashi is here, I am sure you agree that he is more than qualified to escort me to the estate," Sakura said and stepped next to Kakashi.

"I will see you tomorrow, Danzō-San," she took Kakashis arm and pulled him away with her. When they were out of hearing distance, Sakura sighed and leaned on Kakashis arm in gratitude. His familiar smell of forest after thunder relaxing her frayed nerves almost immediately, as she took in a deep breath.

"Sooo, care to tell me why you kidnapped me?" Kakashi asked with an awkward chuckle as she continued to sniff him and pulled his arm from her grip to place it over her shoulders comfortingly. Sakura looked up at him with an innocent look and smiled.

"Whatever do you mean, Kaka-Kun?" Sakura asked sweetly and batted her long eyelashes cutely.

"…Never mind. So, I'm escorting you home now, am I?" Kakashi sighed, making Sakura giggle and nod.

They walked up the road in comfortable silence, going up the road that lead to the monuments. When the estate came in to view, Kakashi whistled, making Sakura roll her eyes.

"You _live_ here?" Kakashi asked in bewilderment. Sakura smirked and pulled him through the stone walls surrounding her estate to the rock pathway leading to the main doors.

"Unfortunately," Sakura sighed and pushed the sliding door open when they reached it. They stepped inside and removed their shoes.

"You can wait there, make yourself at home. I need to get out of these clothes before they bake me," Sakura groaned and walked towards a room which Kakashi guessed was her own.

'_Now I know what she meant when she said that this place is too big for one person,'_ Kakashi thought and took a seat at the comfortable looking couch. He looked around the giant living room in awe. The place was huge! At least now she had room for a family.

'_Or two,' _he thought.

But the thought of her with a man was not a comfortable one. He knew that she would start a family at _some_ point, Sakura was one of those women that wanted a family, but he did _not_ like the thought of sharing her with someone, least of all with another _man_.

He was not good at sharing.

After Naruto left and Tsunade disappeared –again-, Kakashi had Sakura all for himself and he was reluctant to give up their time together. He did enjoy her company, after all.

He would have to find a way to spend more time with her now that she had a village to lead.

"But _how_?" Kakashi murmured to himself and turned his head towards Sakura as she came back from her room.

The sight of her made him pause.

"Is… is that _my_ shirt?" Kakashi asked, _almost_ blushing at the sight she made and got up from the couch. She had on a huge black shirt with long sleeves, it almost came to her knees and black leggings underneath.

"Oh, yeah, kinda. I still haven't had the time to unpack most of my stuff," Sakura said, a guilty blush rising on her cheeks as Kakashi walked closer to her. He took a hold of the collar to find that yes, indeed, it was his shirt. The collar had a mask on it.

"It… suits you," indeed it did, he did like the sight she made while wearing _his_ shirt. Sakura smiled at him and pulled on the mask.

"Look, we match!" Sakura said with a grin, making Kakashi chuckle.

"But do you know the difference between me and you?" Kakashi asked seriously.

"Well?" Sakura giggled.

"I make this look good," he said seriously and pointed at himself, making Sakura laugh at him.

"Sure, sure," she said and swatted at his shoulder playfully, as Kakashi reached up to pull her –his- mask down. Sakura noticed and with a laugh jumped away from him.

"Oh, no you don't! You still haven't showed me _your_ face! I'm keeping this on until you do!" Sakura exclaimed and jumped away from his hand again.

Kakashi sweat dropped from her reasoning.

"Sakura… I just saw your face fifteen seconds ago," he said and tried to catch her once more.

'_When did she become so fast?_' Kakashi thought as she evaded him _again_.

"You'll forget how it looks like soon enough, age doesn't come alone you know," she said smartly and swatted his hand away. He could see her smirk underneath the mask.

Kakashi frowned.

"What is it whit you and my age? I'm not even thirty yet!" Kakashi grumbled and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Grumpiness also comes with age. Are you sure you counted it right? You do have… _some_ grey hair on you already," that earned a glare.

"It's a family trait," he protested with a huff.

"Keep telling yourself that," Sakura said with a smirk.

"I hate you," there was no force behind his words.

"Then why are you smiling?" Sakuras grin turned evil as she poked his cheek. Kakashi swatted her arm away and turned his face towards the ceiling to cover up the fact that he was indeed smiling quite widely.

"I am not smiling," his voice didn't convince even himself, as it was full of hidden laughter.

"Uh uuh," Sakura teased and stepped closer to try and poke his cheek again. He tried to hold in his chuckles as he swatted her hand away again.

"Nah aah," he answered.

"Uh UUH!"

"Nah _aah,_" this earned him another poke to the cheek.

"Uh, Hokage-Sama?"

They fell quiet and Sakura leaned closer to whisper at Kakashi, still not turning around.

"It's Anbu, isn't it?" Sakura asked quietly and Kakashi nodded, keeping a watchful eye on said person.

"What are my chances of slipping away unseen?" She asked and glanced back at the waiting Anbu.

"Small, but I can sacrifice myself so you can escape your duties," this made Sakura giggle and swat at his chest. She took in a calming breath and put on her "Hokage face".

She turned around to face the Anbu and nodded at him in greeting. The Anbu nodded back and took out a scroll –no surprise there- he had been sent to deliver. The scroll was big, so it couldn't be a simple mission scroll. Sakura had the hunch that it had something to do with her personal guard.

"What can I do for you, Anbu-San?" Sakura asked calmly.

"Danzō-Sama asked me to bring this scroll to you. In this scroll are the best candidates as your personal guard," the Anbu said and offered the scroll to her. She took it with a nod and told the Anbu to give Danzō her thanks.

"I will, Hokage-Sama," and with bow, he was gone. There was an awkward silence.

"That was… kind of embarrassing," Sakura giggled and looked at the scroll in her hands. It had a seal that belonged to ROOT, not that it surprised her, Danzō really wanted her to choose one of his own men. Sakura knew they were strong, but she wanted someone she could trust, someone she could have conversations with.

"You know you can choose whoever you want, right? Danzō is just pushing you to choose a ROOT member to keep an eye on you at all times," Kakashi said and took the scroll from her. He looked at it critically and placed it on the table.

"I know, I know," Sakura sighed.

"Oh, and Sakura," Kakashi said, making Sakura look up at him in question.

"You still have the mask on," and his shirt, but that seemed to have slipped from her mind. Not that it bothered him, at all.

'_Must be a male thing,'_ Kakashi thought.

"It stays!" Sakura protested.

"… I'll give you a week, you don't last longer in it," Kakashi said with a smirk, fully knowing he was baiting her.

"Want to bet on it?" Sakura asked with a smirk, the scroll all but forgotten.

"Hmnn, depends on the stakes," no, it didn't, he would _love_ to see as Sakura struggled with the mask. It could get _itchy, _not to mention_ hot_.

"Winner gets to see the losers face?" Sakura asked hopefully. There was gleam in her eyes, on that Kakashi didn't particularly like. But he guessed that he was lucky, she didn't know yet that she would see his face anyway at some point, she _was_ the Hokage now. But at least he could make this interesting.

"You know what, make it a month and you're on," Kakashi said and smirked as he saw the shine of victory in her eyes.

"Dea-"

"But! I get to choose my own price, if I win," Kakashi said.

"That's-"

"Fair? Or are you scared?" Kakashi taunted again, fully knowing that it would be her undoing.

"Dream on! It's a deal!"

"Oh, and you might want to order your own set of those. A month is a long time to spent in only _my_ shirt," oh yes, he just had to remind her that she had on nothing but his shirt and those flimsy leggings. Not to mention that the Anbu that just left saw her in _those_ clothes. He was evil, he knew, but the blush that rose on her cheeks was more than worth it!

…

Lady Flick: Thank you for your amazing review! I absolutely love those that take the time out of their day to actually give some proper feedback. It takes a lot of my time to write these fics, so I appreciate the effort. I corrected those writing errors that you mentioned too! Thanks for pointing them out for me! *Grin*

PrincessBellezza: Thank you for your comment, it makes my day to hear that people enjoy my stories!

StarKiss666: She will (:

bloodyCappuccetto: Hope this qualifies :)

And those that review as guests, thank you for your time! :3

As always, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

R&amp;R

TY

-Hana


	3. Chapter 2 The way we tease

Chapter 2

The way we tease

It had been a week – a really long and irritating week- since her bet with Kakashi. Not only did everyone look in her way with humor, but the damn thing was itchy as hell! She ordered her own set of shirts, but they were not ready yet. The tailor said it would take a week and a half, he didn't want the Hokage to wear anything but the best.

'_Luckily I don't have to sleep in this thing,'_ Sakura thought sourly and leaned her head onto her table.

"Uh, Hokage-Sama?" A voice asked uncertainly.

"Yes Shikamaru?" Sakura could recognize that lazy drawl anywhere.

"I can come back later," he half asked tiredly.

"No! No, I'm good! But _please_ call me Sakura. It makes me feel old when you guys call me Hokage," Sakura said and lifted her head up to look at the shadow user. Shikamaru was wearing his standard Jōnin uniform, his posture was hunched as usual and Sakura could see that he was not too thrilled to be there.

"Good, calling you Hokage did feel a bit too troublesome," this made Sakura smile, how typical from him.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Sakura asked, Shikamaru wasn't one to visit without reason.

"It's about Ino, she has been panicking for a whole week now and refuses to tell me _why_. When I asked about you, she kept flinching, so I figured you would know what is going on," Shikamaru said and sighed, as if this whole thing was way too _troublesome_ for him.

"Why would sh- OH! It must be what Danzō said last week," Sakura said and groaned. Just great, how could she forget how upset Ino looked when she apologized to her? Of course she would worry that the Elders would tell her father about her "rude" behavior.

Sakura sighed, how _troublesome_.

"Please tell Ino that she has nothing to worry, I will take care of the Elders. And please tell her she is welcome to visit me when she wishes to, or when she has something on her mind," Sakura said with a smile. It really saddened her that some of the ninjas who were her age almost feared her. True, she is –was- Tsunades pupil and she did inherit her legendary temper. It was true that she killed Sasori of the Red sand a while before she was named Hokage and it was true that that was one of the reasons the elders picked her.

'_But it's still me,'_ Sakura thought sadly. She didn't want to be the kind of Hokage everybody feared.

"I know you will. You are still the same old Sakura, after all," Shikamaru said and smiled at her lazily, making Sakuras gloomy mood brighten immediately, as a soft smile ascended on her face.

"I could kiss you-"

"Please don't, the Elders would arrest me."

"-But the Elders would… yeah. I was gonna say that," Sakura said with a laugh. Sakura looked in his way with a gleam in her eyes, one that Shikamaru didn't really like, at all.

"But then again, they do want me to marry as soon as possible. Marrying the Nara genius would please them no doubt," Sakura joked and giggled when Shikamaru paled.

"Please don't even joke about that," Shikamaru deadpanned as Sakura burst out laughing.

"But Shikamaru-Kun! We would fit together so _nicely_!"

"…I'm leaving."

"You are no fun," Sakura pouted and crossed her arms. Shikamaru sighed and sat down on the chair opposite of hers.

"From one point to another, have you chosen your guard or platoon yet?" Shikamaru asked and leaned onto her table. Sakura shook her head and sighed.

"No. Danzō has been breathing down my neck about that. I just don't know who to choose," Sakura said. Shikamaru was quiet for a while, clearly thinking it over.

"Why not have Kakashi act as your guard. He has been walking you home as it is," he said, bored.

"Yeah, but that is only cos' I told him I don't like Danzō doing i- actually, that is a great idea!" Sakura exclaimed. The fact that she didn't think of it earlier was kind of embarrassing. It would solve so many problems to have Kakashi as her guard. This was great!

'_Which reminds me,'_ Sakura thought and looked at Shikamaru with a smirk, the kind that would make anyone run to the mountains and hide. Too bad for him that he couldn't see it because of the mask.

"Nara Shikamaru, you are not in the mission roster," Sakura said in her Hokage voice and laughed inwardly when he flinched.

"About that-"

"Which is good, because I have a proposition for you."

This seemed to get his attention.

"Would you be interested to act as my adviser?" Sakura asked formally and leaned into her hands like Tsunade used to do.

Shikamaru blinked.

"Isn't that spot reserved for someone with a bit more experience?" Nara asked, skeptical, making Sakura nod. He had a reason to be skeptical; it was a great honor to act as an advisor, his salary would double, he would get better working hours and Sakura wouldn't be the worst boss in the world.

"Usually, but at the moment it's either Danzō or you and I'd rather want it to be you," Sakura said and took out a scroll –finally, it was her who got to do it!- from her pouch.

"In this scroll are all the details, please think it through," Sakura said as Shikamaru took the scroll.

"I do have one question," Shikamaru said as he pocketed the scroll.

"Ask away," Sakura said as she took out another scroll, this one a mission report from a younger Chūnin.

"When do I start?" Shikamaru asked whit a smirk.

"I knew I could trust you. Be here tomorrow at eight o'clock," Sakura said as she looked at Nara with a smile.

"Will do," and with a wave, he was gone.

Sakura shook her head with a smile and turned back to the scrolls. They seemed to be never ending and the fact that Shikamaru took the position was a relief. Sakura never looked up as the window opened.

"Yo," Kakashi said and jumped down from the windowsill.

"World must be ending, you are early!" Sakura said with a smile.

"But you said four o'clock," Kakashi said, skeptical, making Sakura giggle awkwardly.

"Oh well, you see, you are usually late, so I might have, maybe, told you, possibly, a wrong time," Sakura said with an innocent smile.

"… I really do hate you," Kakashi said with a glare.

"But I love you!" Sakura said with a laugh.

"I'll just go then. Have fun with Danzō," Kakashi said and turned around to leave, but Sakuras voice stopped him.

"But! Now that you are here, I do have something to ask you," Sakura said.

"Hmn?" Kakashi hmned suspiciously and turned around.

"You know I'm trying to decide who to have as my personal guard," Sakura started and got Kakashis attention as he turned around.

"What of it?" He asked.

"Well, the Elders wouldn't accept just anyone as my guard and they are hoping I'll choose Danzō as either my adviser, or guard."

"Get to the point, Sakura," he sighed.

"I'm getting there!" Sakura yelled.

"No, you are not."

"I'm just trying to warm you up to the subject!"

"I'm sweating already. What did you want?"

Sakura bit into her lower lip and looked at him while batting her lids. Kakashi blinked, a blush rising on his cheeks at the sight she made. The fact that she was still wearing _his_ shirt under that cloak did not help at the moment.

"Kaka-Kun, _please_ be my _personal_ guard," Sakura half moaned, half whined, saying the word "personal" like it had a double meaning. Right then, Kakashis blush could be seen over his mask.

"Uuh," really, that was all he could get out at that moment. His mind was too deep in the gutter. In Icha Icha Accident, there was this one scene where this young girl tried to woo this older man and the picture Sakura made at the moment was really familiar to the main characters lover.

"I promise I'll be a good girl," Sakura said and it was straight from the script too.

She was glad -for once- for the mask as it covered her gleeful smirk. Oh yes, she knew what she was doing and the fact that he was falling to her acting was amusing her to no end.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Kakashi said dazedly. Sakura smiled in victory.

"Great! You will start tomorrow as well. Shikamaru will be here at eight, but you will have to walk with me here so be at the Estate at seven thirty," Sakura explained cheerfully. She only got a nod from him, telling her that at least he understood _some_ of it. She got up from the desk, after putting away the last scroll. The one scroll that still needed Kakashis name on it was in her pocket.

"I'm done for the day, want to grab something to eat while you _walk me home_?" Sakura asked as she placed her Hokage hat on.

"Did you just-"

"I know, I'm good," Sakura laughed and took his arm.

"Lead the way, oh personal guard of mine!" Sakura said and smiled up at him innocently. He would have to remind himself to never trust that look.

"I really do hate you."

"You don't smile at someone you hate!" Damn, she got him again. How she always knew was beyond him.

"So, at what time did you think that I would be there?" Kakashi asked as he tried to change the subject.

"Around six or seven o'clock," Sakura said with a smirk.

"…Really, Sakura," Kakashi deadpanned. Sakura gave him an apologetic smile.

"Well, you can't really deny the fact that you are often late," she said.

"There was a time when you respected me."

"I still do!" Sakura protested.

"Really?" There was hope in his eye.

"Well, yeah, sometimes you do something cool. Like that one time when we were on that mission when you-"

"I told you not to talk about that!" Kakashi looked around them just in case someone was listening.

"It wasn't so bad!"

"I had to wash my mouth at least ten times after that," Kakashi grumbled.

"Well, you could have listened to me and-"

"Sakura-Sama," an eerily familiar voice said. Sakura looked away from Kakashi to the person that called her, only to find that it was Danzō. How he always found her creeped her out, sometimes she even suspected he had planted a tracking device on her!

"Danzō-San, what can I do for you?" Sakura asked and squeezed Kakashis arm in reassurance. Danzō looked down at their arms and glowered at Kakashis hand, clearly not liking their familiar hold.

"I was going to take you home, but I see that Hatake-San beat me to it, once again," Danzō finally said, he didn't sound too happy.

"Uh, yeah, it's not official yet, but Kakashi accepted my request to act as my personal guard," Sakura said awkwardly, she knew that Danzō would not be happy about that little fact. It was a position he had wanted. Only gods know why!

"You do know that you will need our approval?" Danzō asked and Sakura nodded.

"I know. But there really is no one better to guard me. Kakashi knows me and my habits," Sakura said with a smile as she leaned on Kakashi.

"You are being awfully quiet, Hatake," Danzō pointed.

"I have nothing to say, just know that I will protect Sakura with my life," Kakashi said and shrugged.

"You would, wouldn't you," Danzō murmured and just like that, he walked away.

"How rude can someone be?" Sakura whispered, making Kakashi chuckle.

"That rude," Kakashi answered with a smirk and pulled her along.

"I'm so glad that he can't reproduce anymore", Sakura giggled.

"Oh yes, one Danzō is enough for me, thank you very much", Kakashi said with a laugh.

"You know, you might want to find yourself a wife soon, you don't have that many fruitful years ahead of you", Sakura said, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Oi, will you stop that! I'm still not event thirty yet," Kakashi said with a pout.

"*Cough* sixty *cough*."

"I'll show you sixty!" Kakashi said and threw her on his shoulder, as Sakura laughed cheerfully.

With a poof, they were gone.

…

Poor Kakashi, Sakura is always making fun of his age.

As always, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

R&amp;R

TY

-Hana


	4. Chapter 3 The way we settle

Chapter 3

_The way we settle_

He. Was. Late.

'_Not that it surprises me. I just got used to the fact that he has been on time for the whole week now_,' Sakura thought grumpily and tapped her feet as she waited on her front gate.

And Kakashi had been on time; boy was she surprised to see him on her porch at seven thirty on that first morning, but as the week went by, she got used to it. It was kind of embarrassing to admit, that it was _Kakashi_ who had to wait for _her_ on that first morning; she didn't think she would have to be ready that early.

'_He kept on teasing me about it too.'_

Sakura had been a Hokage for almost a month now, and she was getting used to it, little by little. Danzō had seen to her personal platoon for now -she waited for Narutos return- and they were her constant shadow. She made sure to emphasize that they did not have the permission to enter her home -she liked her privacy- but otherwise could look after her as they pleased.

So far they had respected their boundaries.

Danzō still showed up once in a while, but Kakashi made sure to be present at all times, it was his job now. Even Kakashi felt uncomfortable about Danzōs constant presence, but if you didn't know, you couldn't really tell. He covered it up pretty well. Sakura had a feeling that The Elder was planning something big, but she wasn't too keen on finding out what it was.

Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Shikamaru had taken over the job as her adviser and slowly, but surely, The Elders warmed up to the idea of him keeping the spot. He sure had the intelligence to back him up, and he had already taken over the mission reports and such. He even said that the job wasn't _too_ troublesome!

That was big, coming from him.

Sakura got her shirts from the tailor earlier that week –it was Friday now- and she had actually gotten used to the mask. It kept the dust away from her mouth and nose –there was plenty on the streets of Konoha- and hid her expressions very well. Her shirts were all either bright red or black, they hugged her curves nicely and half of them were sleeveless. Even Kakashi approved, if the nosebleed was anything to go by. It even saved her once as she scowled at Danzō, luckily he didn't see it.

The only downside to this bet was, that the face they engraved onto the Hokage monument had a mask on it.

'_Too bad for that,'_ Sakura thought whit a smile. She was going to keep the mask anyway.

"Yo!"

That familiar greeting made Sakura look up with a frown.

"You are late, Hatake", Sakura said.

"Ah, well you see-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Sakura yelled, making Kakashi smirk at her knowingly.

"Oh? Then I'm sure you don't want these dankos I got for you, my reason for being late you see," Kakashi taunted and it was then, that Sakura noticed the bag in his hand. The thought of danko made her stomach grumble, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything yet.

He was forgiven, for now.

Kakashi gave her the bag that just saved him and smiled down at Sakura.

"You do know that you don't really have any set hours to be at the tower, right? You always make sure to be there at eight," Kakashi reminded her as she took her first bite. She hmned happily and smiled -he could tell from the way her eyes cringed- at him.

They fell into a steady space towards the town.

"I don't have to, it just gives me more time to take care of things. I still haven't decided who to name the new hospital head now that I'm the Hokage," Sakura said and shrugged. She had so much work at the moment, that she even dragged some of the scrolls home.

She always was a perfectionist.

"Sakura..." Kakashi sighed. He could see from her hunched shoulders and tired eyes that she did not get enough sleep. She was working way too hard.

"Don't give me that look! You work the same hours as me!" Sakura accused and pointed a danko stick at him.

"I have to. My job, remember? The one you tricked me into agreeing," Kakashi reminded her bluntly. Not that he minded, it was the perfect way to spend more time with her. Now that she wasn't his student anymore, he could finally admit -only to himself thought- that he liked Sakura.

_She _outranked _him _and age didn't matter that much in their world,so he had nothing to worry about. Other than her being the Hokage and her being way out of his league, that is.

But a man could hope, right?

"I didn't trick you! The way I saw it, you agreed whole heartedly!" Sakura teased and smiled cheekily. Of course he agreed, how could he not when she looked the way she did? Biting her lip and looking up at him from under those lashes that kissed her cheeks, when she blinked her bright green eyes. Honestly, how could someone _not _like her?

Sakura had a high position in the village, could take care of herself, was good with kids and was villages leading Medic... only to name a few factors. She had grown from that tiny slip of a girl into a beautiful and successful woman that she was today.

She had filed out nicely too.

_'When did this happen?' _Kakashi thought and sighed.

He really _was _a pervert.

"-and then he said we should _marry_! Can you believe him?!" That snapped Kakashi out of his thoughts. She was not marrying anyone anytime soon, if he could help it!

"Marry who?" Kakashi asked and looked down at her. He noticed that the dangos were gone, she always did like them a bit too much.

"... Are you sure you're not remembering your age wrong? You seems to have a problem with your hearing," Sakura said, not willing to pass the opportunity to tease him.

Well, he had that one coming for not paying attention.

"I'm serious, Sakura. Who told you to marry who?" Kakashi asked sternly, making Sakura sigh.

"Take a guess. Who else, but Danzō," Sakura said and looked up at the tower. Kakashi did so too, only now noticing, how long he had been in his thoughts. They were almost at the tower.

"To marry who?" Kakashi was not happy, not at all.

Sakura shrugged, as if the whole thing didn't trouble her at all.

"Donnou, but to me it seemed like he meant himself," how she could say that so calmly surprised Kakashi. As if Sakura would want to marry someone like Danzō. The whole idea repulsed Kakashi.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi asked skeptically. If Danzō wanted them to marry, he would do everything in his powers to make just that happen.

"Not really, I just had this feeling. The way he has been staring me lately and all. I know he wasn't happy when I didn't chose him as my personal anything," Sakura said with a smirk.

"Sakura..." Kakashi sighed.

"What? Do you think I should have chosen him as my _personal _guard?" Sakura joked and nodded at a few passing genin, who were no doubt coming to the tower to get their D-ranked missions for the day.

"No!" That came out a bit strongly, making Sakura chuckle. They walked up the stairs leading to the top.

"Don't worry, it's not like he can force me to marry just anyone," Sakura said and reached up to open the door to her office when they reached it.

She opened the door quickly and smiled at Shikamaru.

"Morning Shika," Sakura said as she walked towards her desk, Kakashi following her quietly.

"Morning," the Nara genius yawned and signed another scroll.

"Someone's cheery this morning," Sakura teased, but Shikamaru just yawned and waived her teasing off. She never seemed to get a rise out of him, no matter how hard she tried!

"Oh, before I forget, you got a scroll from the Kazekage. It's on your right," Shikamaru said without looking up from his scrolls.

"Oh, thanks," Sakura said and looked at said scroll. She found it laying innocently between other scrolls.

_'Funny, why would Gaara message me all of a sudden_,' Sakura thought and shrugged. Maybe he heard that she was made a Hokage and just wanted to congratulate her. That must be it.

"When did this arrive?" Sakura asked offhandedly and reached out to pick up the scroll.

"Hm, Danzō brought it before you arrived. He wanted to hand it to you, but _you _were _late_. Apparently he had somewhere to be," Shikamaru said and glanced up at Sakura when he said "you" and "late".

_'That doesn't sound too promising,' _Sakura thought with a frown. She opened the scroll with a sigh, making Kakashi look over her shoulder curiously. She cast a disapproving glare at him, but he just smiled innocently.

With a grumble, she turned back to the letter, fully knowing that he was reading it too.

_..._

_Sakura,_

_It pleases me to hear from you under these better conditions._

_I didn't have the time to express my gratitude for saving my brother properly the last time you visited Suna and I wish to correct my rudeness._

_I hear Tsunade has stepped down and named you as her successor and I find myself pleased by her choice and I trust you to rule with honor. Hopefully our villages will come to be closer in these upcoming years and I, as well, wish to resign our peace treaty to form a stronger alliance._

_I accept your proposal and I will be arriving to Konoha within the week._

_Until we meet._

_Gaara_

_Kazekage of Suna no Kagure_

_P.S Kankuro sends his regards_

_..._

"You know that the last letter was not from Sakura, _right_? Or at least she didn't write it herself," Kankuro asked skeptically, as he quickly wrote the last part into the letter as Gaara refused to write it.

"Aa," Gaara agreed and took the scroll back. He frowned at Kankuros "regards", but sealed the scroll anyway. He knew the scroll wasn't from Sakura, but he also knew that Sakura would read _this _letter. The seal in it made sure that only she was able to open it. He was sure Sakura wouldn't mind if he visited, it has been a while since his last visit to Konoha and he really did wish to thank her properly for saving his brother from Sasoris poison.

"You know Gaara, the two of you would make a nice political match. Not to mention she has filled out nicely..." Kankuro said with a smirk.

"Aa," it was true, who was he to deny that years have been kind to her.

"Not to mention she took out Sasori, even if Shio-Baa helped," Kankuro noted and took the sealed scroll Gaara gave him. He would sent it out later that day.

"Indeed," and indeed she had. Sakura had grown in strength and status since their last meeting.

"You could show her a sand jutsu or two. They might come in handy if she moves here," Kankuro suggested with a smirk.

"You are getting ahead of yourself," but teaching her a jutsu or two might bring them closer and possibly deepen their somewhat shaky friendship.

"Fine, I don't start planning the wedding just yet," Kankuro joked and turned towards the door with a laugh.

"I'll sent this on my way out," and then he was gone. Gaara hmned and walked to his windows. Yes, a visit to Konoha would be a nice change. He would just have to make sure that either Temari or Kankuro remained at Suna to take care of political issues. He was fine with traveling alone, after all. Even if Shukaku was removed, he still had his almost unbreakable sand defense.

_'Sakura Haruno, we will meet soon,'_ and somehow, he could hardly wait.

...

I'm so sorry guys! D:

I was at the hospital and it came kind of suddenly, so I wasn't able to inform you guys about my small hiatus.

But now that they fixed up my arm and I don't need those strong meds anymore, I'm able to write once again! (:

I know this chappie wasn't my best and it's full of errors, but try and bear with me. I'm trying to find my touch again...

And as always, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

R&amp;R

TY

-Hana


	5. Chapter 4 The way we gossip

Chapter 4

_The way we gossip_

This was the 7th time she was here.

She had been standing in front of the Hokages office, staring at the door for almost fifteen minutes now. She knew it irrational, but she couldn't bring herself to knock. She hadn't seen Sakura in almost 3 weeks now, other that the passing glance, as Sakura walked around the village, but even then, Ino was afraid to greet her. In short, she was afraid of saying "hi" to her best friend.

'_It's only Sakura,_' Ino tried to tell herself every time, but then she'd see those Hokage robes, Hatake at her side in his full gear AND the looming Anbus close behind them, ready to defend their Leader. At some days even Danzo himself was following her!

'_It's only Sakura,_' she tried to tell herself again, as she stood in front of the closed door.

Ino knew, that Sakura knew she was here, Shikamaru had even told her everything was okay with the Elders; that Sakura took care of them for her. She _knew_ that Sakura wasn't angry with her. She _knew_ it was still their Sakura. It was still her Sakura-Chan, her Forehead. She KNEW.

So why did it seem like that door was glaring at her, when she tried to lift her hand to knock it.

"_It's only Sakura,"_ this time she said it in a whisper, but it didn't seem to make a difference. The door was still glaring. Now that she looked at it, it looked bigger than before, almost as if it would swallow her if she dared to touch it.

"Maybe…. I'll come back tomorrow, she must be busy," Ino sighed sadly.

She was already turning around when the door opened, making her freeze and turn her head, her blue eyes bright with hope. Out stepped Sakura, who was wearing her Jōnin uniform, with that new mask of hers. Sakura probably knew that the Hokage robes made her uncomfortable, so she wasn't wearing her cloak. She looked tired and Ino could clearly see the dark bags under her eyes and her slumped shoulders. Her best friend was leading a village on her own, and where had she been? Hiding behind the corners, that's where!

Sakura looked older, more fragile, than she had looked in a long time.

It made her guilty.

"Ino Pig," Sakura said tiredly and gave her a small smile. It was HER smile, the old Sakura smile.

"Forehead," Ino said with a small smile of her own. The moisture in her eyes would be blamed on the dry weather.

"Would you… join me for dinner?" Sakura asked with a shy smile.

And somehow, everything was back to normal, as Ino agreed with a laugh and dried her eyes, as a bright smirk found its way on her lips.

…

"Sooo, I hear that the Kazekage is coming to Konoha in the next few days?" Ino asked with a smirk and took a sip of her green tea. Sakura groaned and laid her head on the table. She had been so busy with everything, that she had almost forgotten Gaaras arrival. But of course Ino just had to remind her that she would still have to organize a place to stay for the Kazekage.

"Please don't remind me! I have enough to do as it is!" Sakura whined.

"I hear that he's still single too, he'd be a nice catch," Ino joked with a laugh as Sakura moaned in despair. And because it was Ino, she also had to remind her about the fact that the Elder were hoping for her and Gaara to marry.

"That's what the Elders said too," Sakura grumbled, making Ino laugh gleefully. Sakura, clearly not too pleased about the fact, glared at said blonde. In her opinion, it was not funny at all! How Ino found it hilarious was beyond her.

"You can't deny it! He's a good looking male!" Ino said dreamily, making Sakura scoff.

"I'll let you have him. I have too much to do to even think about boyfriends," Sakura said and ate the last of her dango. Sakura knew that Gaara was a decent male, it wasn't that, but she didn't really have time for something as childish as a "boyfriend" at the moment.

"Suit yourself, Forehead," Ino shrugged gulped down the last of her tea.

"I have to get going, still got plenty of work for today. Would you… join me tomorrow as well?" Sakura asked with a small smile as they walked out of their usual cafe. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she had missed her best friends company. Having dinner –dango- with Ino had brightened her day a lot!

Inos bright smile was the only answer she needed, as they made their way back to the Hokage tower.

…

As Sakura made her way back to her office with Kakashi trailing behind her, the 1st thing Shikamaru saw was her happy grin, even the bags under were less prominent, as there was a healthy blush on her cheeks. There was a gleam in her eyes that hadn't been there in weeks and she was humming a tone quietly, as she sat down on her seat while Kakashi took his place behind her.

"It went well, I take," it wasn't even a question.

Sakuras grin got wider, if that was even possible and she nodded eagerly.

"I told you she wasn't mad at you, Ino's no _that_ troublesome," Shikamaru said with a small smile.

"I know, I know. Thank you Shika-Kun," Sakura said and the smile she gave him was worth all the trouble. So with a pleased "hn", he turned back to his report, happy that Sakura was being less troublesome. Almost 3 weeks in the same room with her sad sighs and gloomy mood could make anyone miserable. So he was glad that it was dealt with.

It was pleasantly quiet after that, the only sound being Sakuras small humming and the scratchy sound of their writing. Once in a while a ninja or two brought in their reports or came in for briefings, but it had been much quieter as Akatsuki hadn't been seen in a while. They had been awfully quiet after Sasoris death, but there was a certain tension in the air, as no one knew when they'd strike.

But for now they enjoyed their small vacation from them.

It was when a Genin, no older than 7, ran inside -without knocking too- that the quiet atmosphere was broken with his next words.

"Kazekage is here soon!"

'_Oh joy,_' was the 1st thing in their mind.

…

"How is he here already?! He shouldn't be here yet! WHY is he even here!?" Sakura panicked and paced back and fro in her office.

"Maybe his journey went smoother than anticipated, you know he's a fast traveler. He's only 2 days early and you know _why_ he is here," Shikamaru reasoned calmly and gave her a scroll as she passed his desk for the 30th time.

"What's this?" Sakura asked and –finally!- stopped pacing.

"I took care of the hotel reservation for Gaara-Sama for you," Shikamaru said. "Now go to the gates to welcome him. You don't want to give a bad impression as a Hokage, do you?" Shikamaru asked with a yawn.

"Oh Shikamaru, you're a life savior!" Sakura said with a bright smile and turned to Kakashi, who was waiting patiently in his spot.

"Join me, Senpai?" Kakashi sighed, her new way of calling him was not amusing him at all. It made him feel like an old pervert, which he was, so it only made it worse! He could even admit dreaming of her calling him Senpai, as he showed her a thing or two about the importance of-

'_Better not go there,_' Kakashi thought with a grimace, his latest dream was still quite brightly in his mind.

"Of course, Cherry-Chan," after all, he was never one to go down quietly.

He was quite pleased to see the blush that rose on her face, above her mask. He was kind of surprised she was still wearing it. He knew Sakura was competitive, but he didn't except her to manage 3 weeks with the mask. She only had a week left and she'd win their bet. But by now she seemed so used to the mask that he wouldn't be surprised if she decided to keep wearing it after their bet was over.

It did have its good sides after all!

It reminded him of the fact that she'd see his face soon. It made him kind of apprehensive. It had been a while since he'd shown his face to anyone, last one that saw it was Tsunade as she healed him. She kept calling him a "pretty boy" for a month! He knew that he wasn't a bad looking male, no, but being without his mask made him feel almost naked.

'_At least she won't call me sixty anymore_,' he thought sourly as he followed after Sakura to the gates.

He could already sense the Chakra of the approaching Kazekage. Chakra like his was hard to miss, it almost seemed to demand the attention of those within the sensing range. When they stopped at the gates, he could see a tiny spot on the distance, it was steadily growing larger and Kakashi could already see that Gaara had come alone. He knew that anyone else would just slow him down.

He looked down at Sakura to see her biting her lip in anticipation. She was clearly nervous, as this was her 1st time receiving an important quest as a Hokage. There were many things that could go wrong with this visit. Suna was Konohas biggest ally, so this was an important meeting between the two. Sakura had been nervous about it since receiving Gaaras letter and as the days went by, it only got worse. There was no Naruto to smoothen things up between them.

"Don't worry Sakura, I'll be with you," Kakashi said quietly. He knew she was afraid of doing this alone.

His quiet words seemed to relax her a little as she gave him a small smile of gratitude from under her hat.

"Thanks Kakashi," she said quietly just as Gaara arrived to the gate.

There was a small awkward moment between them, neither one of them seemed to know what to say to the other, but soon enough Sakura took the 1st step towards Gaara and smiled brightly at the not-at-all winded Kazekage.

"Welcome to Konoha, Gaara-Sama, I trust your journey went smoothly" she said pleasantly and it seemed to brighten the mood somewhat, as Gaara smiled back slightly and nodded in greeting.

But the next words he said made Kakashi frown behind his mask, his senses were screaming "rival".

"I'd like to think we are beyond such tittles by now, Sakura-San," Gaara said in his smooth and slightly emotionless voice, making Sakuras smile brighten.

"Of course Gaara-San," Sakura agreed, they were of the same status now after all.

And all Kakashi could think in that moment was;

'_Yeah, definitively a rival.'_

...

**Hello my dear readers!**

Just wanted to ask if one of you would like to act as my beta reader! (:

It takes me a while to find my errors and it takes time away from my writing to correct them. And I know there are plenty, as English is not my native language…

In short:

-I'd sent You the chapter

-You would read it for errors

-Then send it back to me to be published.

Of course I would be forever thankful, you'd get mentioned as my beta, you could write your own notes in the author notes section (What you thought of the chapter and stuff) AND you'd get to read the chapters 1st!

Also, I don't mind if there are more than one beta, makes my job easier as a writer. (:

Please let me know in the comments section or PM me and I will be in contact. Don't forget to add a way to contact you!

And as always, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

R&amp;R

TY

-Hana


	6. Chapter 5 The way we groan

Chapter 5

_The way we groan_

"Gaara-San, I trust you are hungry. Would you join me for dinner?" Sakura asked pleasantly as they walked side by side in the busy streets of Konoha. The sight of two Kages walking together was gathering people, heavy gossiping could be heard over the exited greetings to the visiting Kazekage.

"It would be my pleasure," Gaara said quietly, smiling down at her. The exited mutters could be heard getting louder at the sight of Gaaras smile, making Kakashi snort behind them. Sakura grinned excitedly, happy to see her village so full of life.

"You have been a Hokage for almost a month now, am I correct?" Gaara asked as they stepped into Sakuras favorite tea shop. They took a seat in a quiet corner, Kakashi following them dutifully, but choosing to remain standing.

"Something like that," Sakura shrugged and greeted the small, grinning woman happily as she came to take their order. The dear old woman kept calling her "Sakura-Sama" even though Sakura kept telling her she was still just plain old "Sakura-Chan".

"Nonsense! You are our dear Hokage! Let this old woman call you as such!" Hikomi, the old lady yelled passionately. She took their order and almost waltzed away to prepare their order.

"You seem dear to your people," Gaara noted with a smile, making Sakura blush.

"Eh, thank you. I guess," Sakura said, embarrassed as Gaara chuckled at her.

"It is quite alright, it is good to see Konoha doing so well so soon after Tsunade-San left," Gaara said and nodded to Hikomi as she rushed to bring them their tea.

"The village and I still miss both Tsunade-Sensei and Shizune-San, but we're trying to move onwards," Sakura said, the love she felt for her dear Mentor still clear on her eyes. There was still hope that she would return after getting over the grief of losing Jiraya.

Gaara nodded, pleased at this answer. He knew what loss was, but life went on eventually.

"Later tonight, I would wish to meet you privately, I have some urgent matters to discuss with you," Gaara said seriously, glancing at Kakashi who glared at the wall for some reason. Sakura nodded, glad that the mask covered up her small blush at the words "privately" and "urgent". Her Inner was giving her some pretty wild ideas of her and the handsome red head.

'_Stop it_,' Sakura whined at Inner, Gaara was being nothing but professional.

'**Isn't he just handMEsome,'** Inner swooned.

'_Stop it!'_ Sakura ordered and with a last laugh, Inner disappeared back into the dark pits of her mind.

"Sakura?" Gaara asked, clearly waiting for her answer.

"Oh, I'm sorry, there's been so much on my mind lately! Later tonight sounds perfect, my estate is the most private place there is at the moment," Sakura said, only then realizing how that sounded. She gasped in mortification and covered her face with her hands. The blush could be seen on her ears by now.

"Oh god, that came out so wrong," Sakura groaned, not noticing how Kakashi tensed at what she had said. Gaara did, however and lifted his hairless brow in question.

"I understand, getting used to your new position can take some time. Your estate sounds perfect," Gaara said with a chuckle, wanting to test how Kakashi reacted to his light teasing. The older male was being quite open about his dislike of him and Sakura spending time alone.

"It does?" Sakura asked, surprised at how nice, almost flirty Gaara was being at the moment. She was glad that he wasn't feeling insulted by her tied tongue and wandering thoughts.

'_He does have a nice laugh though,_' Sakura thought.

"Of course. After all, I did come to Konoha to see _you_," Gaara said and smiled, glancing at Kakashi to see if he gave any outward signs of displeasure. He noted with a smirk how tense his shoulders looked and decided that teasing the famous Copy-Nin was his new favorite past-time thing to do.

"Oh right, I had to tell you about that letter-" Sakura started, but froze as Gaara took hold of her hands that were laying on the table. She noted how warm and soft his hands were, the sand armor he always wore making sure there was no roughness in his hands. She thought how rough her hands must feel compared to his, the years of punching rocks and trees making them this way.

She tried to free her hands, but his held firm.

"Later, when we are alone," Gaara said pointedly and nodded towards the other customers that were swooning at the sight of their joined hands. Sakura let out a quiet "ooh," and nodded seriously. Things like that weren't meant to be heard by the public.

Gaara almost grinned as he glanced at Kakashis tense form one last time before their food arrived.

That man was in so deep that no amount of digging could free him now.

…

"Thank you for joining me Gaara-San!" Sakura said pleasantly with a smile. They had talked for quite some time after eating, Gaara ever requested that they train later on, apparently he wanted to show her a sand jutsu or two. Now they were walking around the streets at a calm pace, just enjoying the good weather. Gaaras hat was tied to his sand gourd as usual, the sunny weather didn't seem to bother him, while Sakuras hat sat on her head to help cover her eyes from the sun.

"It was my pleasure, Sakura-San," Gaara said with a slight lift of his lips. He made sure they walked quite close, just to annoy the Copy-Nin, even letting their fingers brush once or twice. He tried not to smirk every time he heard the older man growl.

"You probably want to rest after traveling all the way to Konoha, let me take you to my office so Shikamaru can show you to your rooms. I might as well get some work done while there," Sakura said, grumbling the last part about doing anymore paperwork.

"Very well," Gaara nodded.

"You know where the Hokage Estate is, correct?" Sakura asked as they turned a corner towards the Hokage tower.

"I do."

"Good, you can find me there later on, when you have rested," Sakura said and nodded to the few ninjas at the gate. They greeted her with a happy wave and a "Sakura-Sama". Sakura was getting used to the enthusiastic greetings, but they still brought a small blush to her cheeks. She was still surprised how the villages' people liked her so much. Sure, she had saved quite a few lives in the hospital and cured a few diseases, but still.

"They adore you," Gaara said as they climbed the stairs.

"It still surprises me from time to time," Sakura admitted with a smile. They were all so very dear to her, they were her people. It still felt weird to say so, but it didn't make it any less true. This was a village she would protect with her life, if it ever came to that.

'_Even if it should be Naruto wearing this hat, not me,_' the thought of her team mate and friend brought longing, she hoped he would return soon. In the meantime, she would make sure the village that Naruto loved would prosper, grow and remain happy, lively and full of gossip as usual.

Sakura pushed open the door and was greeted by Shikamarus lazy smile.

"Ah, Sakura-Sama, Gaara-Sama," Shikamaru greeted and looked at Sakura." Danzō was here to see you earlier. Told him to leave a message, but he said he'd be back later," always right to the point, Shikamaru told the bad news.

"Great," Sakura sighed.

"He said he had something urgent to discus," Shikamaru added, clearly not interested in what the old geezer wanted. With a yawn, he went back to signing papers.

"Marvelous," Sakura grumbled, she'd had enough of Danzō to last her a lifetime. Sakura walked to her desk and sat down on her comfortable chair. Kakashi was right there the second she sat down, almost breathing down her neck, that's how close he was. Sakura looked up at Kakashi in question, he wasn't usually quite _that_ close. With a shrug, she removed her hat to set it beside her on the table.

"Gaara-San, Shikamaru will show you to your quarters. We shall lee later tonight," Sakura said with a smile and leaned into her hands in a very Tsunade-like way. Shikamaru groaned quietly, but got up anyway.

"Later, Sakura-San," Gaara said with a slight smile and turned around to follow Shikamaru without waiting for an answer. As the door closed and they were left alone, Sakuras head slid down her arms to lean on the table. She groaned and closed her eyes tiredly.

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked uncertainly and laid a gentle left hand on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" came the quiet grumble.

"You okay?" Kakashi asked and squeezed her shoulder.

"Hhmm-mm," there was no other reaction, just the quiet hum.

Kakashi sighed and laid his right hand on her other shoulder. Slowly, he started to rub away the knits and knots on her young shoulders, those that were so full of responsibility for someone so young. As he hit a sensitive spot, Sakura groaned and lifted her head up to give him better access to her sore neck. Kakashi started to think that this was a bad idea as he heard her give out that quiet sound of appreciation. He very much wanted her to enjoy his touch, but the tent that was rising in his trousers would not remain small for long, if she kept making those sounds.

"Oh God," Sakura sighed as he pressed his thumps into her neck, almost making Kakashi groan as well.

'_Oh God indeed,'_ Kakashi thought sarcastically as Sakura looked up at him with a grateful smile. With a final squeeze on her shoulders, he lifted his hands away and ruffled her hair, his eye creaking happily.

"Thank you, I really needed that," Sakura said with a grin that could be seen through her mask. Kakashi hoped she wouldn't look down as he backed up to lean against the wall, taking his place next to the window. He took out his book, out of habit and opened it. His eyes roamed the pages, not really reading a word, as he tried to will down his semi hard member. It could be seen way too clearly with the skin tight Anbu uniform, if she were just to look.

"It's quite fine, Sakura-Chan," he mumbled and almost sighed in relief as his lower region calmed down.

"You seemed awfully tense before, Sensei, is something wrong?" Sakura asked and looked at him over her shoulder. She had wondered why Kakashi had been hovering and grumbling ever since Gaara had arrived, but blamed it on the fact that he was not used to sharing her company as of late. Still, Kakashi was not usually so plain… possessive.

Kakashi looked at her over his book.

"Oh, just peachy, Sakura-Chan," Kakashi said with a grin and turned his eyes back to his book. Sakura didn't look convinced, so she just stared at him till he craved.

'_Just trying really hard not to jump at your bones,' _he thought with a grimace, knowing that if he said that aloud... When did he become such a pervert? Oh right, apparently he had always been one, if you asked one of his students. There was a long moment of silence and when Kakashi still didn't talk, Sakura sighed and turned back around.

"If you say so," Sakura said skeptically and started going over her "important stuff" papers. There was a comfortable silence as Sakura worked and Kakashi stood on guard.

"What do you think Danzō wanted this time? He has been lurking around more than usual," Sakura asked as she did the last of her paperwork, shaking her wrist to get some feeling back into it. She was clad to be done for the day, now she'd have some time to relax before Gaara arrived, maybe even get some chores done at home. She was slowly getting used to living in the Hokage estate. It was still too big for her, way too big, but she had learned to ignore all of the empty rooms. New, more fitting furniture had been bought and a decorator had organized her living area to fit her needs. It was starting to feel like home, little by little.

"The same as always, have you chosen his Anbu as guards yet, you need to do this, you need to marry that," Kakashi mumbled and turned a page. He knew what that old geezer wanted, oh yes he did. Kakashi knew why Danzō visited so often and why he demanded so much alone time with Sakura. He didn't want her to marry Gaara, not really.

Sakura rolled her eyes at his blunt answer and picked up her hat. She was done with papers, scrolls, reports and everything work-related for the day.

"I got this creepy feeling that every time he's close by, he's staring at me," Sakura said as a side note and placed her hat on her head. Her Hokage cloak pillowed behind her as she walked towards the door and glanced at him over her shoulder.

Of course he stared, he was a greedy old man with some serious pedophilic tendencies. Still, he'd be surprised if that old bat could even keep it up long enough to-

"Kakashi-Sempai, you coming?"

'_I'd wish to,'_ he almost groaned and snapped his book shut.

…

I think Gaara is enjoying this a bit too much.

I know, Danzō is a creep!

And as always, thank you for reading and have a nice day!

R&amp;R

TY

-Hana


End file.
